Sources of variation of the environmental impact of cereal-based intensive beef finishing herds

Berton, Marco; Cesaro, Giacomo; Gallo, Luigi; Ramanzin, Maurizio; Sturaro, Enrico

doi:10.1080/1828051x.2018.1423581

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…In the present study the farms showing higher feed self-sufficiency levels showed lower GWP values. Positive correlations between the GWP and purchased concentrate consumption have been found in the present study, thereby highlighting the effect of purchased concentrates on the environmental impacts of beef production, as a result of LUC and transport-related emissions (Berton et al, 2018). The magnitude of the on-farm feed production emissions in the present study also appears to be closely linked to the amount of purchased feeds.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Evaluation of the environmental impacts of suckler calf-to-beef mixed crop-livestock farms in northern Italy: A farm-based study

Bonnin

Ferrero²,

Tabacco³

et al. 2022

Ital J Agronomy

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The issue of the environmental impacts of beef production has been extensively debated in recent years. However, the research on this theme has mainly been based on farm-model studies with limited attention to contribution analysis of impact categories and aspects linked to cropping systems and feed self-sufficiency in mixed crop-livestock farms. This study evaluated the cradle-tofarm gate environmental impacts of mixed-crop livestock farms rearing the Piedmontese beef breed and suckler calf-to-beef operations in Northwest Italy. Data have been collected from detailed on-farm questionnaires, field books, and invoices of 11 farms over two years (2017-2018). The environmental impacts have been evaluated in terms of land occupation (LO, m2/year), global warming potential (GWP, kg CO2-eq), acidification potential (AP, g SO2-eq) and non-renewable cumulative energy demand (CED, MJ), using life cycle assessment methodology. The functional unit considered was one kilogram of live weight produced at the farm gate. The Piedmontese beef production system showed comparable average environmental impacts with those found in other studies, even though high variability was observed in the studied farms. The GWP averaged 15.7 kg of CO2 eq/kg LW and ranged from 12.1 to 17.6 kg of CO2 eq/kg LW. The CED, LO and AP were on average 62.4 MJ/kg LW, 18.5 m2/y/kg LW and 305 g SO2 eq/kg LW, respectively. Differences in environmental impacts and GWP contribution analysis were mainly due to differences in cropping system management strategies and the consequent levels of feed self-sufficiency. A positive effect of high fertility and animal productivity was observed on the GWP (r=0.62; P<0.01), highlighting the importance of improving efficiency of these aspects for the reduction of emissions. From the contribution analysis of impact categories, the high cost of purchased feeds (in particular protein feeds), transport, and mineral fertilizers for feed production were highly relevant. However further research is needed to confirm these findings. Highlights - Study of 11 farms for two years. - High relevance of purchased feeds on environmental impacts. - Productive and reproductive performances are key points in reducing environmental impacts. - Importance of the valorisation of farm crop surfaces to satisfy animals’ needs.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Evaluation of the environmental impacts of suckler calf-to-beef mixed crop-livestock farms in northern Italy: A farm-based study

Bonnin

Ferrero²,

Tabacco³

et al. 2022

Ital J Agronomy

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“…In this context, efficiency improvements for dairy farms, animal management and animal feeding are key aspects for the mitigation of the environmental impacts associated with dairy farming (de Boer et al 2011;Mostert et al 2018), other animal productions (Berton et al 2018;Vellinga et al 2011) and crops production for feed purposes (Tuomisto et al 2012;Zucali et al 2018). In a literature review by Baldini et al (2017), authors investigated recent studies on Life Cycle Assessment of milk production showing that there is still need of consistency in the assumptions and in the investigated inventory data in order to bring to comparability among studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvements to dairy farms for environmental sustainability in Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano production systems

Lovarelli

Bava

Zucali

et al. 2019

Italian Journal of Animal Science

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Grana Padano (GP) and Parmigiano Reggiano (PR) are the two most important Italian PDO cheeses. To improve the environmental sustainability of their production, a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was completed on 84 dairy farms located in the province of Mantova (Northern Italy). In particular, 33 farms delivered milk for GP production, whereas 51 farms to dairies for PR production. In GP farms, maize silage represented 33.7% of total farmland and alfalfa represented 28.1%. While in PR farms, alfalfa represented 63.6% of total farmland. Fat and Protein Corrected Milk (FPCM) and Dairy Efficiency (DE, calculated as kg of produced FPCM per kg of DM intake) were different in the two production system: FPCM was 30.2 ± 4.32 kg/d in GP farms and 25.0 ± 4.71 kg/d in PR farms; DE was 1.35 ± 0.26 in GP farms, and 1.15 ± 0.22 in PR farms. Mitigation strategies to improve both environmental and economic sustainability were suggested focussing on forage crop production, milk production, herd management and offfarm purchased feed. From the preliminary results, there is evidence that improvements are needed. Climate Change (kg CO 2 eq/kg FPCM) and Land Use (kg Carbon deficit/kg FPCM) were similar (1.38 ± 0.33 and 19.3 ± 7.08 for GP system; 1.46 ± 0.37 and 21.8 ± 11.4 for PR system). The most efficient farms in terms of milk production and DE generally showed the best environmental and economic sustainability, while the others show worse outcomes, mainly due to poor DE, livestock-management issues, feed purchase and ration composition. HIGHLIGHTS 84 farms producing milk for Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese were studied in the Province of Mantova. Life Cycle Assessment was used to quantify the environmental impacts of farms and statistical analysis was helpful to identify 6 clusters. Farm, animal and milk efficiencies were poor and mitigation strategies to improve the sustainability of milk production were suggested. ARTICLE HISTORY

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“…The impact factors for the purchased feedstuffs were derived from Ecoinvent database (Ecoinvent Centre, 2015). The conversion of single compounds in the common unit of the impact category which they contribute was equal to that used in Berton et al (2018). The impact due the breeding period was derived from Pirlo et al (2016).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of genetic type and low protein diets on the environmental footprint of intensive medium-heavy pig production system

Berton¹,

Gallo²,

Carcò³

et al. 2018

j. cent. eur. agric.

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This study aims to evaluate the effect of two different genetic groups and of the dietary protein content (16.1 vs 14%, conventional-CONV vs low crude protein-LCP) on the environmental footprint of the intensive medium-heavy pigs (final BW of 145 kg) system in northern Italy through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The experiment involved 92 barrows with the same age, originated by the same maternal line and by two different commercial paternal lines intended for medium-heavy pig production. Pigs were allotted 12 individuals per pen and fed according to the same feeding curve, based on a moderate restricted feed allowance increased on a weekby-week basis. The LCA model included emissions related to animal handling, manure storage and feedstuffs production. The functional unit was 1 kg of body weight gained (BWG). Impact categories assessed were (mean values into brackets): global warming (GWP, 2.3 kg CO 2-eq), acidification (AP, 48 g SO 2-eq) and eutrophication (EP, 24 g PO 4-eq). Impact values were analyzed with a mixed model testing the effect of diet and genetic group. All the impact categories were affected by diet (P<0.001) and genetic group (P<0.05). The LCP diet showed lower values of GWP, AP and EP than CONV diet (-18,-12 and-3%, respectively). Low protein diets can effectively reduce the environmental footprint of intensive pig production, with no effects on productive performances. However, feedstuffs type and origin should be considered to not nullify the emissions savings.

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Sources of variation of the environmental impact of cereal-based intensive beef finishing herds

Cited by 8 publications

References 21 publications

Evaluation of the environmental impacts of suckler calf-to-beef mixed crop-livestock farms in northern Italy: A farm-based study

Evaluation of the environmental impacts of suckler calf-to-beef mixed crop-livestock farms in northern Italy: A farm-based study

Improvements to dairy farms for environmental sustainability in Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano production systems

Effect of genetic type and low protein diets on the environmental footprint of intensive medium-heavy pig production system

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